Trevor Timmins knows how to pick 'em

MONTREAL - From selecting future NHL stars early on in the NHL Entry Draft to mining gems in later rounds, assistant general manager Trevor Timmins has a proven track record of success when it comes to plucking potential prospects from the crowd.

Since he took the helm of the Canadiens' Draft table in 2003, Timmins has racked up an impressive list of draftees who have gone on to enjoy standout NHL careers. The hit parade of first rounders begins with goaltender Carey Price, who was selected fifth overall in 2005. One of only two goaltenders selected in the opening round that year - along with Tuukka Rask, who was selected 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs - Price leads all netminders in his draft class with 558 games played. He also ranks second in wins with 286, just seven victories back of Los Angeles Kings starter Jonathan Quick.

Price, of course, enjoyed a 2014-15 campaign for the ages with a league-leading 44 wins, a 1.96 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage, and was rewarded with four major honors at the NHL Awards, including the Vezina Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, and the William M. Jennings Trophy.
He's also a six-time NHL All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist, and a World Cup of Hockey champion.
Two years after nabbing Price, Timmins headed to the 2007 NHL Draft in Columbus with two first round selections at his disposal. With the No. 12 pick, he selected defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who went on to earn two NHL All-Star nods with the New York Rangers, where he also served as captain after being traded to the Big Apple. Through 530 career NHL games on the back end with New York and Tampa Bay, the 28-year-old St. Paul, MN native ranks fifth among defensemen in his draft class in games played, fourth in goals (53), and third in assists (188) and points (241).

Just 10 spots later, Timmins secured the services of current Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty with the 22nd-overall pick. Five 30-plus goal seasons and one Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy later, Pacioretty is ranked among the top players in his draft class in multiple offensive categories. The 29-year-old winger sits tied for third among 2007 draftees in goals (226) behind just Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn, he ranks ninth in assists (222), and fourth in points (448). The clutch sniper also ranks second among all NHLers in the last five seasons with 38 game-winning goals, behind Alex Ovechkin's 43.

Fast forward to 2011 when Timmins made defenseman Nathan Beaulieu the 17th overall selection. Now a member of the Buffalo Sabres, the 25-year-old rearguard ranks fifth in his draft class among defensemen with 284 games played, fifth in assists (61), and sixth in points (69).
The following year, Timmins selected Alex Galchenyuk in the No. 3 spot. No player in Galchenyuk's draft class has played more games than the American-born sniper, who has 418 NHL appearances under his belt with the Canadiens. Galchenyuk ranks second in his draft class in goals (108), first in assists (147), and sits tied with Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators for top spot with 255 points.

As for Timmins' first-round picks in 2014 and 2015, respectively, forward Nikita Scherbak and defenseman Noah Juulsen, are coming into their own at the NHL level after strong showings with the big club this past season.
Timmins is also the man responsible for selecting defenseman Mikhail Sergachev with the ninth-overall pick in 2016. The 19-year-old Russian blue-liner, who debuted with the Canadiens in 2016-17 before being dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning in June 2017, boasts the highest point total of any rearguard in his draft class (40). He also ranks fifth in the Class of 2016 in assists (31) and sixth in games played (83).

Armed with four second-round picks heading into the 2018 NHL Draft, Timmins will have to make the most of those selections in Dallas - something he's also done well over the years.
Forwards Jacob de la Rose (34th) and Artturi Lehkonen (55th) were both second-round selections in 2013, while Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban was selected 43rd overall in 2007. The former Habs blue-liner and current Nashville Predator ranks second in his draft class in games played among defensemen (582) - trailing only Karl Alzner - but he leads all rearguards in all three major offensive categories - goals (89), assists (288), and points (377).

Veteran defensemen Alexei Emelin and Yannick Weber were among Timmins' notable third-round selections.
Emelin joined the Canadiens' fold after being selected 84th overall in 2004, but spent the next seven years plying his trade in his native Russia before making the jump to the NHL. During his six seasons with the Canadiens, the 32-year-old blue-liner earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.
Weber, meanwhile, was selected 73rd overall in 2007. He suited up for 115 games as a Hab between 2008 and 2013. The 29-year-old Swiss rearguard, who also sported the colors of the Vancouver Canucks, currently brings a wealth of experience to the Nashville Predators' back end with 394 games of NHL experience on his resume.

Two years ago, at the 2016 NHL Draft, Timmins made young defenseman Victor Mete the Canadiens' first fourth-round selection since 2012. The 19-year-old Woodbridge, ON native, who was picked 100th overall, cracked the Canadiens' roster out of training camp this past season and played 49 games with the big club. Like Sergachev, Mete is among just six defensemen in his draft class to have played in the NHL. He is also one of only four players selected outside of the first or second rounds that year who have seen NHL action.

While he's proven adept at scoring future NHLers in earlier rounds, Timmins has been even more impressive in the later stages of the Draft over the years.
In 2003, his first Draft with the Habs, Timmins called on Slovak goaltender Jaroslav Halak in the ninth round, 271st overall. Halak went on to backstop the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final seven years later, setting a franchise regulation-time playoff record with 53 saves among other accomplishments that spring. A sleeper selection that summer, Halak currently ranks third in his draft class among goaltenders in games played (449), trailing only Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights - who was selected first overall by the Penguins - and Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, a second rounder. Halak also ranks second to Fleury with 232 victories.

One year after nabbing Halak, Timmins struck gold again in the ninth round, when he picked Swiss defenseman Mark Streit with the 262nd overall selection. The rearguard, who went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, ranks sixth in his draft class with 786 games of NHL experience. He's also second among defensemen from the Class of 2003 with 96 goals, first with 338 assists, and second with 434 points.
Then there's Brendan Gallagher. A fifth-round pick from 2010, Gallagher scored a career-high 31 goals this past season, while also leading the Canadiens with 54 points. The reigning Molson Cup Player of the Year, who was selected 147th overall, currently ranks 10th in his draft class with 406 games played and fifth with 118 career goals, behind Tyler Seguin, Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall, and Vladimir Tarasenko. The 26-year-old alternate captain also ranks 10th with 239 career points.

Like Gallagher, forward Charles Hudon is another one of Timmins' fifth-round finds. After being selected 122nd overall in 2012, the 23-year-old Alma native played his first full season with the Canadiens in 2017-18. Hudon quickly proved that his game was NHL ready by registering 10 goals and 30 points in 72 games.

While Timmins and his scouting staff continue preparations ahead of next week's event in the Lone Star State,
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to have a look at some of the top prospects the Canadiens could call on with one of the team's 10 picks this year.